


Scanlan's Final Wish

by KaytiKazoo



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dalen's Closet, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-09-03
Packaged: 2020-10-06 16:36:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20510135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaytiKazoo/pseuds/KaytiKazoo
Summary: Dalen's Closet ending change:What if Scanlan and Vax fell in love instead of Vax and Keyleth? What if Scanlan, having lost Vax, gives his final Wish for the love of his life to say a few words at his sister's wedding? What if....





	Scanlan's Final Wish

Vax'ildan was different when he stepped through the veil of the Raven Queen’s cloak on the edge of  the cliffs.

“ Scanlan Shorthalt ,” he greeted, his voice  halting and haunting. “You are toying with the designs of the gods still, I see. Old friend.”

“But I, I didn’t have a present,”  Scanlan said in response, his voice small in a way that it never was. He felt weak all over, the wish  draining him of his strength and energy. “So.”

His voice trailed off.

“She will allow it. Thank you.”

Scanlan couldn’t see  Vax's face behind the raven’s mask he wore, and oh, how he  longed to see that face.  He missed kissing those perfect lips and  feeling Vax's smile against his own. He missed the sounds  Vax made their last night in the mansion, terrified and clinging to each other in the dark. He missed  waking with his head on  Vax's chest, tracing the dark raven mark before they decided to rise for the day. He hadn’t had enough time with  Vax'ildan . None of them had.

Least of all,  Scanlan thought,  Vex'ahlia . There were tears in her eyes now, her blessing still lighting up the area. She was truly radiant in every meaning of the word, and  Scanlan had done this for her. They had mourned  Vax'ildan together, both of them missing large parts of themselves that may never heal.  He was right when he said there was nothing expensive enough to be worthy of her and Percy,  but this is what he could do. He could give her one last moment with her brother.

He watched quietly as  Vax removed his mask , keeping the  tears at bay.  The love of his life,  Vax'ildan , champion of the Raven Queen, was just as beautiful as the first day they met in  Stilben all those years ago.  There were more scars, and he had that weird bone  spire thing happening on his shoulder, but  Scanlan felt  the love beat in his chest strong as ever.

Scanlan flashed to their last kiss before  the Raven Queen  took him  away, to their first after  Vax’ildan blurted out that he loved him , to the first time  Scanlan took  Vax apart in what would come to be their  shared bed , to hearing Vex  catch  Vax leaving his room The next morning . He  swallowed against  the swell of nostalgia. Against the weight of their past.  Against the hollowness of their future.

Pike's steady hand closed around his shoulder, grounding him  in this moment.

Vex and Percy’s wedding.

He couldn’t  breathe. 

Pike squeezed,  and he inhaled. 

He didn’t listen to  Vax and Vex, he couldn’t.  If he stopped to listen to  that haunting  creaking voice where there once was  melody and light, he might let the exhaustion  take him.

This wasn’t for him.

But then, as if on cue,  Vex’ahlia turned her brother around to face him.

“ Scanlan ,”  he said, and he sank to his knees before  Scanlan . “ Champion of the Knowing Mistress.”

“ Don’t,”  Scanlan whispered, his knees weak in  Vax’ildan’s presence. Vax reached out  and took  Scanlan’s face in his hands. “ Vax .  I didn’t think it was going to work.”

“ You,  Shorthalt , are more talented than  even you could possibly imagine. It’s been too long, and  I have so much to say.”

“ Vax ,”  Scanlan whispered again, voice  weak on the breeze.

“ You have  so much before you, my love , and you have so many stories to tell.  Ioun will be proud of  you.  As I am.”

“ I have so many stories to tell  _ you _ ,”  Scanlan managed.  Vax rested his forehead against  Scanlan’s , and subtly kept his  hands on  Scanlan’s hips, holding him up. “ Kaylie and I- and the business in  Marquet -”

Vax kissed him , cutting him off. For once, he was glad  to stumble over his words and trip on his tongue.

“ I’ve heard your prayers. The Queen is gracious to let me hear you.”

“I wish  I could hear you back.”

“You know I cannot.  It is unfair to you, and to I, if we  cannot touch  or kiss or  see each other every night.  Your words are enough for me, but you are still here,  Scanlan Shorthalt . You  must move on. Find another love. Raise your daughters to be just as  rambunctious and  wonderful as you.”

Scanlan caught the s, looking  at Kaylie nearby startled.

“Your children,”  Vax said and while his face was  calm,  Scanlan swore there  was a smirk playing at the corner  of his lips. “ I’ve seen  your legacy,  Scanlan . I’ve seen the mark you leave on the world. ”

“I don’t care about that without you.”

“Be brave,  Shorthalt . Live. And love again. I promise you . ” And then, just for a moment,  his voice was warm and soft again, “ I love you so much.”

Scanlan counted the seconds, the mom ent before  Vax kissed him one last time and then stepped away.  Scanlan watched as he  looked to their chosen family gathered around them and nodded his goodbyes.

He wasn’t ready to let him go.

“Live,” he said gently, and then  there was a scatter of black feathers. And he was gone once more, leaving them alone on the  cliffside .

It was the last Wish  Scanlan could ever make, but every night, for years to come , he’d pray to the Raven Queen, and pray to  Ioun , and tell his stories to a boy in black that  c ould  never reply.

**Author's Note:**

> This is posted on Tumblr, but I'm about consistency so I'm posting it here too.  
If you want to encourage me to write more, or whatever, you can follow me there, I'm KaytiKazoo there too!
> 
> -K


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